GB2171004A

GB2171004A - A bed for a disabled patient

Info

Publication number: GB2171004A
Application number: GB08601616A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Dr Harith Abdul Hamid Hasson
Original assignee: HASSON HARITH ABDUL H
Current assignee: HASSON HARITH ABDUL H
Priority date: 1985-01-23
Filing date: 1986-01-23
Publication date: 1986-08-20
Also published as: GB2171004B; GB8601616D0

Abstract

A frame (1) supports a patient- support assembly (10 to 13) which can turn through 360 DEG about the axis of trunnions (5) whereby the patient can rest on a base section (10) of the patient-support assembly, on a left-side section (11) on a top- section (13) and on a right-side section (12), at different times, to prevent or relieve bed sores. The assembly may also turn about a horizontal axis which is transverse to the longitudinal centre line of the patient. Tubes for carrying fluids to or from the patient may pass through the trunnions. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A bed for a disabled patient According to the invention, there is provided a bed for a disabled patient, the bed including a patient-support assembly which includes a base section and left and right side sections and a top section which extend along his left and right sides and over him, respectively, when he is lying in a position on his back and face-up on the base section, the bed also including support means which permit the patient-support assembly and the patient to be turned together through an angle greater than 180 about a horizontal axis parallel to the longitudinal centre-line of the patient, whereby the patient may be caused to have his left side resting at times on the left side section, his right side resting at other times on the right side section and at least part of his chest resting at further times on the top section.

Preferably, the patient-support assembly and the patient can be turned as indicated above through 360.

The purpose of the invention is to enable the patient, with the patient-support assembly, to turn from time to time so that bed sores are prevented or relieved.

An example in accordance with the invention is described below. with reference to Fig.

1 of the accompanying drawings, which diagrammatically shows a bed for a disabled patient, and Figure 2, which shows an end view of part of the bed.

A support means in the form of a frame 1 made of rods and/or tubes is provided with lockable wheels 2 and non-lockable wheels 3 and carries four bearings 4 which receive trunnions 5 extending from opposite ends of a patient-support assembly 6, whereby the latter, supported by the frame 1, can turn through 360 about a horizontal axis, i.e. the common axis of the trunnions, parallel to the longitudinal centre-line of a patient 7 lying in a normal position in the bed. When the patient is lying on his back, face-up, he is resting on an upper mattress 8 which is placed upon a lower mattress 9 which rests on a base section 10 of the patient-support assembly.There are also left and right side sections 11 and 12 of the patient support assembly and a top section 13, these sections having mattresses 14, 15 and 16 lining them and secured to them, upon which the patient lies when the patient support assembly is appropriately turned. In that way the patient's left side can rest on the left side section 11 (through the mattress 14) at times and his right side can rest on the right side section at other times and at least part of his chest may rest at further times on the top section 13, provided that he is not suspended from above out of contact with the mattress 16. All the sections and mattresses 8 to 16 extend the full length of the patient support assembly except the mattress 16 or the mattresses 14 to 16, which does not or do not extend in the region of the face or neck, and perhaps not the upper part of the chest, of the patient.

The mattress 9 is semi-permanent and semi-permanently fixed, being made of sponge covered with a thick washable nylon coating and being tied to the patient-support assembly by strong belts or cords. The mattress 8 is also made of sponge but it is covered by cloth which can readily be replaced and it is fixed to the patient-support assembly by ties which can be tied and untied easily. The mattresses 14 and 16 are secured but are also readily removable.

All the sections 10 to 13 are rectangular and rigid, although instead at least some of them could be non-rigid, for example formed by canvas or netting. At least one of the sections 11 to 13, and preferably each of them, or a door in at least one of them and preferably each of them, is removable, i.e. detachable from the bed, and/or is displaceable, on account of its being hinged or slidable, to allow access to the patient. The section 13 is transparent, for example being of clear plastics material, in the region above the patient's head to enable him to be observed and to see out; the same could be true also of the sections 11 and 12 or one of them. The sections 10 to 13 form a tube of rectangular crosssection which can be left open at both ends or closed by rigid or non-rigid end closures or at least partly closed by pillows and/or mattresses.

A pillow 1 7 supports the patient's head when he is lying on his back, face-up, and further pillows (not shown) support his head when the patient-support assembly is turned so that he lies in other positions. Preferably a strap over the forehead or a net supports his head when he is lying on his chest, that is to say when the top section 13 of the patientsupport assembly is lowermost.

There are handles 18, and one end of each of two chains 19, fixed to the patient-support assembly, the other ends of the chains having hooks 20 fixed to them which can hook on to the frame 1, whereby the patient-support assembly can be turned, with the patient inside it, to any desired position by turning it clockwise or anti-clockwise from the position shown in Fiy. 2 by any angle up to 360 and can be secured in the chosen position.

If the bed is to be used for a patient with a urine catheter with a bag, it is possible to make the mattresses less thick than elsewhere, by perhaps about 10 cm., In a region near the feet so that a passage Is formed In the mattresses around the longitudinal centreline of the patient to accommodate the urine bag, which can then rotate with the patient and always lie at a lower level than him.

The trunnions 5, which extend in the direction of the longitudinal centre-line of the patient, are fixed to metallic discs 21 which are supported on cross-members 22 of the patient-support assembly and preferably at least one of them is hollow so that tubes can pass through it and can carry fluids to and/or from the patient. If, for example, the patient is to be fed through the nose, the feed bottle may be supported in and by a vertical hollow cylinder outside the patient-support assembly and may have a flexible tube leading through one of the trunnions 5 to the patient. To prevent twisting of the tube, the cylinder may be coupled by bevel gearing to the trunnion, to turn about its vertical axis when the trunnion turns about its horizontal axis. Wires for subjecting the patient to traction may also pass through the two trunnions.

The patient support assembly could be turned about the axis of the trunnions by an electric motor, for example continuously and slowly, e.g. at one revolution per hour, or stepwise. The motor may be remotely controlled by a nurse or the patient. If the motor is of the more common type which rotates at high speed, typically 1500 revolutions per minute, it will be necessary to interpose a speed-reduction gear between it and the patient-support assembly. A toothed wheel forming part of the speed reduction gear may be carried by one of the trunnions.It is desirable to provide means (possibly including a second and suitable ratchet mechanisms) whereby in addition to turning the patient-support assembly by the first-mentioned motor slowly in one direction it may be turned much more rapidly, e.g. 6 per second, in the opposite direction to bring the patient rapidly to a desired position. The motor, or that and the speed-reduction gear, may be outside the room containing the bed and may be coupled by a long shaft and a belt or chain engaging sprockets to the patient-support assembly whereby the patient is subjected to less noise.

An electrically insulating coupling and another coupling which does not transmit vibrations may be included in the shaft. There may be brakes to stop rotation of the patient-support assembly.

The patient may be secured to the patientsupport assembly, for example to the base section 10, to prevent too much movement when the assembly turns.

There may also be means for turning the patient-support assembly about a horizontal axis which is transverse to the longitudinal centre-line of the patient.

Remote control means for the motor or motors may act through a wire or may be wireless, for example operating by infra-red waves. The remote control means may operate a toy vehicle, perhaps with an aerial, which runs on a track and produces a switching action in an electric circuit which controls the motor or motors. The track may be a metre long, for example, with press-buttons inserted in it which are operated when the toy vehicle passes over them.

Claims

1. A bed for a disabled patient, the bed including a patient-support assembly which includes a base section and left and right side sections and a top section which extend along his left and right sides and over him, respectively, when he is lying in a position on his back and face-up on the base section, the bed also including support means which permit the patient-support assembly and the patient to be turned together through an angle greater than 1800 about a horizontal axis parallel to the longitudinal centre-line of the patient, whereby the patient may be caused to have his left side resting at times on the left side section, his right side resting at other times on the right side section and at least part of his chest resting at further times on the top section.

2. A bed according to claim 1 in which the patient-support assembly and the patient can be turned as indicated in claim 1 through 360".

3. A bed according to claim 1 or 2 in which at least one of the side sections and/or the top section, or a door in at least one of the side sections and/or in the top section, is or are removable or displaceable to permit access to the patient.

4. A bed according to any preceding claim in which at least part of at least one of the side sections and/or at least part of the top section is or are transparent.

5. A bed according to any preceding claim in which there is a first mattress fixed with respect to the base section and lying on it when the base section is below the top section, a further mattress placed on the first mattress and still further mattresses lining the side and top sections, these four further mattresses being secured to the patient-support assembly but readily removable therefrom.

6. A bed according to claim 5 in which the mattress lining the top section does not extend over the face or neck of the patient and there is a support for supporting his head from above when he is face-down.

7. A bed according to claim 5 or 6 in which the mattresses are so constructed as to provide a passage around the longitudinal centre-line of the patient to accommodate a urine bag and permit it to rotate with the patient and always to lie at a lower level than him.

8. A bed according to any preceding claim in which said support means include trunnions extending, in the direction of the longitudinal centre-line of the patient, from the head and foot ends of the patient-support assembly and running in bearings supported by a frame.

9. A bed according to claim 8 in which at least one of the trunnions is hollow and is used to convey fluids to and/or from the patient.

10. A bed according to any preceding claim having an electric motor for driving the patient-support assembly about its axis of rotation.

11. A bed according to claim 10 having a speed reduction gear coupling the patient-support assembly to the motor, whereby the patient-support assembly is turned slowly and continuously.

12. A bed according to claims 8 and 11 in which one of the trunnions carries a toothed wheel which forms part of the speed reduction gear.

13. A bed according to claim 10 having means for driving the patient-support assembly about said axis in the direction opposite to that in which it is driven as specified in claim 10 and at a much greater speed.

14. A bed according to any one of claims 10 to 13 having means for remote control of the means for turning the patient-support assembly.

15. A bed according to claim 14 in which the remote control means operates a toy vehicle which produces a switching action in an electric circuit which controls the motor.

16. A bed according to any preceding claim so constructed that the patient-support assembly can be turned about an axis transverse to the longitudinal centre-line of the patient.

17. A bed for a disabled patient, substantially in accordance with any example hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

18. A bed for a disabled patient, the bed including a patient-support assembly and support means which permit the patient-support assembly and the patient to be turned together through an angle greater than 1800, preferably greater than 270 , better still 360 , about a horizontal axis parallel to the longitudinal centre-line of the patient.